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Masamune Dan
|type = Villain |image = |label = Kamen Rider Cronus |label2 = Kamen Rider Cronus |name = Masamune Dan |homeworld = Earth |affiliation = Genm Corp. Himself |gender = Male |motif = |season = Kamen Rider Ex-Aid |casts = Hiroyuki Takami |firstepisode = Christmas Special: Targeting the Silver X mas! |lastepisode = TBA |numberofepisodes = TBA (Ex-Aid) |image2 = }} is the first CEO of Genm Corp. and the father of Kuroto Dan. He had been imprisoned after being framed for starting Zero Day by his son. In reality, he's been manipulating a series of events led to his son's creation of Kamen Rider Chronicle he planned to "claim" for his own. Upon being released from jail after Kuroto was discovered, Masamune immediately resumed his position as the CEO of Genm Corp. and entered the fray of the Riders and Bugsters using the Kamen Rider Chronicle Gashat with the Gashacon Bugvisor II to transform into . Character History Early Life 16 years ago during Emu's surgery led by Kyotaro Hinata where he and his son Kuroto were involved in, his son had first discovered the Bugster Viruses which first appeared glitching his laptop. But unaware to anyone, he self-injected with the virus but later obtained a perfected advanced antibody. A few years later, the Bugster Virus was later triggered by Kuroto during Zero Day, while he started his own agenda by having himself framed by Kuroto for it and later imprisoned so that he would manipulate his son to create the Kamen Rider Chronicle while indirectly dropping charges. Incarceration Masamune was visited by Kiriya Kujo in his prison. He would later give the information about the truth of Zero Day to Kujo, which led to Kujo's death at the hands of Genm Zombie Gamer Level X, who was his own corrupted son. One day, a cop named Heiji Uesugi went to visit him and talked about that the case of Zero Day has not been solved, and two people (Kuroto Dan and Kiriya Kujo) that have something to do with him have been missing. He told the cop that he had nothing more to say to him, and turned away to go back to his cell. As the cop insisted to find out something, he suddenly gets symptoms of Game Disease and starting to become weak, which caused him to turn around in confusion. Later on in the same day, Emu Hojo, accompanied with Asuna Karino went to visit him. When Emu introduced himself, Dan was a little bit surprised. He asked Emu what did he come for, which Emu told him about Kiriya's death during last year's Christmas was caused by none other than his son. Hearing this, Dan said he was truly disappointed by his son's doings. Emu then asked Dan about what he said to Kiriya during that day, which Dan not only replied to him about the truth that happened in the past, but also making a request to Emu to stop his son's sinister plans. Revealing His True Colors Months later, Masamune was finally released from jail and took over Genm Corp. by force. Ren showed his protest in a gentle manner, which Masamune also took it gently. When the Riders and the Bugsters finally have their final clash, Masamune showed himself using the power of Cronus. He later told everyone that everything had gone according to his plans. He reveals that the manipulation of himself to be jailed, the perfection of Kamen Rider Chronicle, and the succession of Kuroto were part of his plan; making Kuroto his hidden pawn and not Kuroto who pulled the strings, which surprises Kuroto himself. He then transformed into Kamen Rider Cronus, surprising the Riders as Kuroto had told Emu, Hiro, and Taiga that it is almost impossible even for the Riders with exception of Emu as he had a chance, to control the power of Cronus as the payment is huge for the controller's life especially immediate death for those who didn't receive an operation of Bugster immunity. He told the others that Emu is not the only person who first got infected by the Bugster Virus and revealed that he had infected himself with the Bugster virus sixteen years ago to develop the perfect antibody within himself. Parado, Ren, and Graphite were vexed on this especially because the Riders were defeated single handedly with his power to control time. He also defeated Parado and Graphite, killing Ren permanently as he stopped the time of life of the Bugster whom he eliminated. He left all of them and announced that he is "the true God" of the world of Kamen Rider Chronicle. War Against CR Family *Kuroto Dan - Son, Kamen Rider Genm *Sakurako Dan - Wife Personality At first glance, as a father, he cares about his son and had a great relationship between each other. He also had high expectations for his son to do something big when he grows up, until the latter became corrupted for the sake of completing Kamen Rider Chronicle. Kuroto framed him that he was the one who started the events of Zero Day that happened five years ago to cover up the fact that he was the actual criminal who started those events in the first place. This eventually drove a wedge to the father and son relationship, causing Masamune to be disappointed for what his son had become and urged the young intern Emu to stop Kuroto when his ambition proved beyond his control. After Masamune is finally released from jail, he eventually dropped his innocent facade for his godlike complex, being far worse than his son ever was. Likewise, he viewed the other Riders and Bugsters as nothing more than mere products of Genm Corp, referring to them by the names of the games they drew their powers from. He even refers to them as "products" when they are not transformed and thinks killing them is simply "discontinuing a product" showing he has no remorse or any emotion for taking a life. He has long anticipated the creation of Kamen Rider Chronicle, allowing Kuroto to imprison himself while indirectly removing threats to his own agenda. His true purpose is to sell Kamen Rider Chronicle worldwide and making GENM corp the best company, thereby making him 'a god'. To make things even worse, Masamune is a cunning, yet a charismatic person who has a business-like mindset. He manages to get all the employees of Genm Corp in his favor in no time after he reclaimed his position as Genm Corp's CEO, while even managing to get Hiiro and Kiriya as his underlings to mettle with CR and the Bugsters for his own agenda. Powers and Abilities *'Original Bugster Virus:' Being another Patient Zero, one of the two first persons to be infected of the Bugster virus before Zero Day, Masamune had hosted the virus for a prolonged period of time, causing the virus to fuse with and alter his DNA, thus granting him Rider and possibly even Bugster-like powers and abilities that by standard, requires external intervention to acquire. **'Natural Game Disease Immunity:' Like Emu, Masamune can utilize any Gashat accessed Drivers like the Buggle Driver II and Rider Gashats without the need of the compatibility surgery. Also, his immunity is absolute, unlike the other Riders' acquired immunity which can still be overwhelmed by a large dose of Bugster virus, as explained by Ren/Lovrica that normal humans with compatibility surgery would have lost their lives should they try to use the Buggle Driver II. *'Weather Manipulation:' He can easily turn day into night in his civilian form. He can also control various weathers, but the reason behind this ability is unknown at this time. *'Security Bypass:' Through unknown means, Masamune was able to slip through tight security and steal a briefcase of Proto Gashats that the Ministry of Health had kept. Weakness * Gemdeus: 'As the archenemy of Cronus, Gemdeus can suppress certain abilities of Cronus', such as nullifying his Time Manipulation ability. However, if it is in a form of a small portion of virus, it can be easily neutralized with a Level 0 Gashat. * 'Kuroto Dan: Since Kuroto is now revived as a bugster, he could enter his Buggle Driver II at his own free will and manage to manually cancel Cronus's 'Pause' ability. Though this requires Kuroto to receive a Game Over first in order to do so, and this plan was eventually ruined by a blackmailed Hiiro. Levels Chronicle Gamer *'Height': 205.0 cm *'Weight': 101.0 kg Ability Perimeters: *'Punching power': 110.0 t *'Kicking power': 120.7 t *'Maximum jump height': 96.0 m *'Maximum running speed': 100m per 0.96 sec. is the default form of Kamen Rider Cronus, activated by pressing the Bugvisor II's A Button, inserting the Master Kamen Rider Chronicle Gashat into the Buggle Driver II, and pressing the small red button next to the Gashat slot. The power of Kamen Rider Cronus was originally meant to be awarded to whoever could progress through Kamen Rider Chronicle all the way to Gemdeus, due to its power being the only thing that can stop him. In this form, Cronus outclasses every Rider in terms of punching power, kicking power, and speed, though he loses only slightly to Ex-Aid Maximum Gamer Level 99 in terms of jump height. Cronus's true power lies in his ability to manipulate time. By pressing the A and B Buttons simultaneously on his Buggle Driver II, it allows Cronus to 'Pause' and 'Restart' time itself, letting him move freely while everything else in the battlefield is frozen. Like other users of the Gashacon Bugvisor, Cronus uses the Gashacon Bugvisor II as his default weapon. Currently, his Level is unknown; however, he is clearly stronger than any Level seen so far. Powers and Abilities :Time Manipulation: Using the Buggle Driver II, Cronus can stop time for his advantage. Any being killed during a time freeze, even a perfected Bugster, cannot be revived through any means. This form has three finishers: *Buggle Driver II finisher: ** : Cronus strikes his target with an energized, reverse roundhouse kick. While in action, a holographic clockwork appears beneath Cronus's feet, with the clock hands moving in synchronized manner with his counter-clockwise kick. *Gashacon Bugvisor II finishers: ** : Using Chainsaw Mode, Cronus can hurl large energy-based circular saw blades shaped like gears. ** : Using Beamgun Mode, Cronus casts a barrage of energy projectiles at his target. Appearances: Ex-Aid Episodes 32-36 Equipment Devices *Bugster Buckle II **Buggle Driver II - Transformation device. Combined from Bugster Buckle and Gashacon Bugvisor II. *Rider Gashat - Transformation trinkets. Weapons *Gashacon Bugvisor II - Transformation device and primary weapon. *Gashacon Breaker - Briefly stolen from Genm Zombie Action Gamer Level X-0. Relationship *Kuroto Dan - Masamune's son, and Kamen Rider Genm. He originally had high hopes for him up until he was framed for the Bugster Virus outbreak. His son was killed by Parado after Ex-Aid rendered Kuroto powerless from becoming a Rider, until Poppy managed to find the way to revive Kuroto during the Kamen Rider Chronicle incident. However, Masamune actually planned all of this in order to become the 'True God' of Kamen Rider Chronicle, even calling his son by his most used Gashat, 'Dangerous Zombie' and sarcastically saying that his talents are merely products of Genm Corp. Kuroto, in return, became determined to stop his father, since he believes his genius abilities are nothing beyond compare. *Emu Hojo - Masamune appears to know about Emu since their first met 16 years ago during Emu's special surgery led by Kyotaro, though how much is unknown, as he expressed surprise after hearing his name for a long time. Its currently unknown how exactly he knows him back in 16 years of past. Later, he revealed that there's actually two Patient Zeros, one is Emu and the other one is himself, thus explained why Masamune's able to transform, despite never receiving a compability surgery, just like Emu. Later on, after Masamune explained his plans about Kamen Rider Chronicle, Emu swore to stop him at all cost. *Sakurako Dan - Masamune's wife. The relationship between them is currently unknown. *Hiiro Kagami : Masamune's current right hand man. Masamune blackmailed Hiiro to betray CR in return to revive Hiiro's late girlfriend, Saki Momose, while the latter felt rather uneasy on him in return. *Kiriya Kujo : After Masamune revives him, Kiriya became his left hand man. Unlike Hiiro who was blackmailed by Masamune, Kiriya followed Masamune by his own free will, thereby explaining why Kiriya is still on Masamune's side even after being reprogrammed by Emu. It is unknown if Masamune is aware of this, however. Behind the Scenes Portrayal *Masamune Dan is portrayed by . As Kamen Rider Cronus, his suit actor is Notes *Cronus's name is assumed to be from , as the creator of the Gashat has a desire for power much like Cronus did, and envied those whom possessed more power than himself. The connection also applies to Masamune as he had a greater desire for power than Kuroto. **It could also be connected to , the personification of time in ancient Greek culture. In fact, Cronus is often confused with Chronos because of their similar names. The confusion is so common that even some historians treat the two as one god. However, according to the origin of the myth, , Cronus has no relationship with any form of the "Time" concept, as he was born after time had begun, and was only titled as the Titan of the Harvest . **It could also be partially derived from the word "chronicle" in Kamen Rider Chronicle, the game his Rider Gashat is based on, which itself uses "chron-" for "time" derived from "Chronos". **One version of his legend is an inverse of the intent behind Kamen Rider Chronicle in that while the game pits players against each other in combat, Cronus led humanity to a Golden Age where no one fought and immorality was nonexistent. **Another reference to Greek myth is that Cronus is the leader of the Titans and father of the Olympians. Aptly, Masamune is the true father of the Bugster virus and Kuroto's father. This connection is deepened by how Kuroto is now fighting against him in the same way Zeus fought against his father, Cronus. *Cronus' face mask is reminiscent of Genm, as initial scans of Sports Action Gamer Level 3 show blinkers with a similar design to the visor of Kamen Rider Cronus. **The design ties into the connection between the two Riders with Masamune being Kuroto's father and the design of the visor appears as a crown as opposed to just an ornate frame. *The many horns on his head are also similar in appearance to those of Zero Specter and some Oni Riders. *Each Rider or Gamer is based on its Gashat's cover art, with Cronus being an exception as Cronus himself is a character of Kamen Rider Chronicle silhouetted on the cover art. *Cronus's ability to freeze time dead-stop, instead of simply slowing greatly or moving quickly, is reminiscent of the Scarab Undead and Cassis Worm. *The magazine scans version of the Gashacon Bugvisor's colors seemed to match better with both Kamen Rider Cronus and his Gashat, though it's unknown why the final version of the actual prop has cyan parts instead of green. *Cronus is another Kamen Rider whose suit bears a trenchcoat, the first ones with this kind of suit being Kamen Rider Orga, Kamen Rider Yuuki, Kamen Rider Wizard, and Kamen Rider Heart. **Incidentally, the inner side of his trenchcoat uses the same red color as that of Wizard's. It appears to be recycled from Genm Wizard Gamer Level 2's trenchcoat. **Discounting his armor and trenchcoat, his base suit was reused from Kamen Rider Ex-Aid's Legend Rider forms (barring Kaigan Ghost) and the Ride-Player's form. Also, it looks like the base suit of Genm Action Gamer Level 0. **Cronus is the first Evil Kamen Rider to have a trenchcoat design to be in the main story of his respective series. *Like Parado's forms having colors (blue and red) that become the same as Mighty Brothers XX's (orange and teal) when inverted, Cronus' main color (green) is an inversion of Genm's base form's main color (purple). **Both this and the similarity in Cronus and Genm's appearances could be a reference to how Masamune was the original CEO of Genm Corp., but Kuroto stole it from him. *Masamune is also compared and similar to Tenjuro Banno as both are actually manipulating their own sons for their need. However to differ both, Masamune is subdued and affable for a villain in contrast to Banno's psychotic personality. **However, his personality is more of Masato Mishima of Kamen Rider Kabuto for being no-nonsense villains who sees both heroes and villains alike beneath them. **He is arguably similar to Kiyoto Maki, they were both introduced as characters with small roles connecting to the events of the story until their actions brought a big impact to the point they became the true main antagonists of their respective series. *Cronus having the power to stop time and land multiple blows capable of instantly defeating enemies could be a reference to game hacking to make it so that the player could win near-instantly with little to no effort. **As mentioned in episode 33, Cronus' Pause ability is also akin to pausing a video game in real life, as Cronus, being the "player", is the only one who is able to move around during a paused game, with the Buggle Driver II acting similar to a game controller of a video game console. *Masamune Dan using the power of Cronus is similar to how the Paradox Roidmude acquires and uses the power of Future Drive; the irony presents itself in how a Kamen Rider power meant to bring victory and security for humanity is used by the villains instead. *Him being the other Patient Zero is similar to how Sou Fueki embedded the Carbuncle Phantom within him that allows him to assume his Phantom form and/or simultaneously transform into the White Wizard. *Masamune and Kuroto's relationship and personalities could possibly be based on how some fans interpret the relationship between game developers and the companies publishing them. While Kuroto is an eccentric yet crazed game developer, Masamune is a ruthless businessman doing anything to make his company the number one game company. *Cronus is the third Rider to be named after a historical god. The first was Kamen Rider Odin, and then the second was Kamen Rider Poseidon. One major difference between Cronus and the other two, is that he is the first god-related Rider to have a permanent civilian form, while not being mind controlled or temporary possessed. Appearances * Kamen Rider Ex-Aid **Episode 12: Christmas Special: Targeting the Silver X mas! **Episode 21: Chasing the Mystery! **Episode 32: Judgment Received! **Episode 33: Company Reform! References Category:Kamen Rider Ex-Aid Category:Ex-Aid Characters Category:Relatives Category:Ex-Aid Riders Category:Heisei Era Riders Category:Neo-Heisei Era Riders Category:Villains Category:Bugster-infected Patients